Enemy Fire
by Military-SweetHeart
Summary: Sakura was humiliated in middle school because of a cruel joke. Then she left and was able to start anew and make new friends. Fast forward two years and she's moving back to her old stomping grounds to finish her last years of high school. And she's not ready to forgive, nor is she ready to forget.(Friendship w/Karin)(Title based on Bea Miller's song "Enemy Fire")
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: Humiliation**

It had been the start of eighth grade for Sakura.

 _"Look, it's Forehead Girl."_

 _"I heard she and Ino ended their friendship."_

 _"Really? Talk about social suicide."_

It was supposed to be a fresh start, she had spent all summer reinventing herself so people would forget about all those nasty rumors.

 _"Can you believe that she told him?"_

 _"Who told who?"_

 _"Forehead Girl! She told Sasuke, the Sasuke, that she loved him!"_

 _"Oh my God, you can't be serious!"_

She had changed everything from her haircut to her wardrobe, which she worked her ass off for. But it wasn't enough.

 _"Sakura asked Sasuke to the Valentine's Day dance."_

 _"Seriously? What did he say?"_

 _"He said yes!"_

 _"What? No way!"_

After enduring the first semester with barely any friends, she had finally gathered the courage to ask Sasuke to the upcoming school dance. She had been so happy that he accepted.

 _"Did ya hear?"_

 _"Hear what?"_

 _"Apparently Sasuke only agreed to go to the dance with Sakura as a joke!"_

 _"What? Ooh, that's harsh!"_

 _"I know, I can't wait to see her face when she finds out!"_

The day of the dance finally arrived. Sakura had gotten the perfect dress; she knew that tonight was going to be memorable. She just didn't know how memorable.

 _"Hahaha! Did you see that? She looked ready to cry!"_

 _"That was way too mean of him, he could've at least been more private about it."_

 _"Holy shit, she's never gonna forget this."_

 _"I hope this teaches her to never go for someone way outta her league."_

Sasuke had made an announcement; he had only said yes to her as a joke. A joke. She was humiliated. She didn't know whether or not to cry, and everyone was looking at her. Some in amusement, others in surprise, and a very few in pity. God, this night had turned from a dream come true to a nightmare. She swallowed her shame and anger and simply shrugged. She turned around and left, refusing to cry until she was safely behind closed doors.

She went home that night with tears streaming down her face. Her parents had opened the door and were shocked. They bothered her with questions, wanting to know what had happened. She told them then said she was going to bed.

She didn't go to school the next day. Or the day after that. A week went by and she still didn't show up. Her teachers, the ones who had been at the dance, were worried. They made numerous calls to her parents, asking about her. Her parents told them that she hadn't been feeling well. Another week went by and she still wasn't showing up. By then her classmates were getting concerned. They started to feel bad.

A month went by before she finally showed back up. Everyone had breathed a sigh of relieve.

Only, she was different. She wasn't cheerful, wasn't sweet to everyone. She certainly wasn't nice to those that had bullied her.

At the end of the school year, Sakura had cut herself off from everyone, making it a point to ignore those who tried to talk to her. She didn't tell anyone that she was leaving, that she was moving away to another city. She stopped caring about them.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, so I know I should be updating my other stories, or at least editing them, but honestly I wanted to write this one more. Yes, the beginning is a little down, but that's the only way I could of think of getting it started. Don't worry, it'll get better and longer. I do not have a pairing in mind yet, but just know, if Sakura does get paired with anyone, it'll be someone you wouldn't expect.  
**

 **Actually, if you want her to be paired with someone, let me know in a review. I'll give everyone's opinion a thought.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One: Old Stomping Grounds**

 **You have one new text from: Kare Bear  
**

 **"Oi, good luck. Kick ass, take charge, and look good doing it."**

 **You have one new text from: Water Boy**

 **"You already miss us, I know you do."**

 **You have one new text from: BFG**

 **"Suigetsu, Karin, and I miss you. Don't let those idiots get to ya, 'kay?"**

 **You have one new text from: Kare Bear**

 **"Send me a pic of what you're wearing, bitch."**

Sakura chuckled at her phone. Of course her friends would text her the minute she woke up; they knew her too well. She set her phone down and stretched, smiling in satisfaction at the cracks her back made. If she was back home, Karin would say something about her getting old, which would cause Suigetsu to call her old, a fight would ensue, Juugo would just stand there embarrassed, and she would be telling them to just kiss and make up already. That would cause another fight, but it would all be in good humor.

God, she missed those three. It had only been a week since she last talked to all of them face to face, but to her it felt like a year. They were a part of her family; hell Karin and her were practically sisters with all the shit and trouble they used to get into.

She sighed, wishing yet again that she was with them and not here.

Not back in her old home town.

Not back in her old neighbor.

Not back where all her old...friends...lived.

But, wishing wasn't gonna do anything about her situation, so she might as well as just get used to it.

She would not, however, accept it. She was too stubborn to do that.

So, with determination to get through the next two years without causing too much trouble, Sakura went through her morning routine and got dressed. She pulled on some black, high waisted, skinny jeans with the left knee torn out; a white, sleeveless, turtleneck crop top; a simple gold necklace with a turquoise crystal; black vans; and she topped off her outfit with a black snap-back that she turned backwards. She styled her shoulder length hair to look slightly messy and arranged her bangs so her forehead tattoo was showing. It was a small purple diamond that was situated in the center of her forehead. Her parents had been very hesitant about her getting it, but after showing them how she could cover it up with either make-up or her bangs, they finally accepted it. After all, it was probably the smallest one she had. Her other ones were a little harder to cover up.

Like on the inside of her right wrist she had the first initial of Karin's name in black ink. She knew Karin had something similar on her right wrist.

Sakura dashed into her bathroom and expertly applied some winged eyeliner, mascara, and some bright red lipstick. She blew a kiss to her reflection and winked.

She was feeling great, and she looked great.

She grabbed her black backpack, phone, earbuds and double checked that she had everything for her first day of school.

Sakura took a quick photo of her outfit and sent it to Karin, getting a reply the next second.

 **You have one new text from: Kare Bear**

 **"Damn, you look hot, bitch. You're getting better at applying your eyeliner. Juugo says you look nice."**

Sakura smiled at the end of the text. It was no secret that Juugo had a small crush on her; he was a sweetheart. Add in his height, bright hair, muscles, and his few tats, and he was definitely eye candy. But, Sakura didn't feel the same way. She told him immediately and in the nicest way possible, and he took it better than she expected.

She walked downstairs and entered the kitchen, grabbing a green apple and protein shake for her breakfast as she made her way to the front door. She waved goodbye to her dad, who was on the phone with someone from work. She gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek before she left, making sure to check that she had her keys with her.

She grabbed her phone, opened up her Pandora, plugged in her earbuds, and started her walk to school. Her family lived close enough that she could either walk or drive to school. The weather was nice so she opted for walking.

Was she stalling? Yes, yes she was. Was she gonna admit that willingly? Not a snowball's chance in hell.

Besides, if she stalled long enough, maybe she would miss the normal morning rush.

However, as she turned a corner, she saw that she was right on time. The morning bell had yet to ring, and everyone was lingering on the school grounds.

"Fuck," she whispered under her breath, popping some gum in her mouth. She rolled her shoulders and made her way forwards, popping a few bubbles while she walked. It was suddenly in that moment that she realized Suigetsu always referred to her as 'Bubblegum Bitch' in his texts. Biting back her laughs, she walked past some students with the clear intent of making it to the front doors.

Part of her worried that she would run into someone and they would question about why they've never seen her before, she should come meet their friends, they could show her around, blah blah blah. Another part worried that she would run into an old friend from middle school and they would question her and she would get into some fight and start off on the wrong foot.

Luckily, none of that happened. She was able to walk inside and get to the front office for a map of the school without having to talk to anyone. She sent a silent thank you that her luck was so good.

Only for her to realize that while she had mostly senior classes, she would have to spend a few classes with her own grade.

Which meant her old classmates.

Oh hell.

* * *

 **AN: Well, that's the first chapter. Let me know what you think, what you would like to see (I'll try and incorporate your idea if it goes with the flow) and what you thought was funny.  
**

 **I made a subtle reference to how most other high school AU's start off, which made me chuckle while I was writing it out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two: Witty Banter?  
**

Sakura groaned to herself as she trudged to homeroom after stopping by her locker. Her schedule was mostly great, it was just the fact that she had a few classes with her own grade that she couldn't avoid.

Like homeroom, lunch (which was separated by underclassmen and upperclassmen), and probably gym. She wasn't sure about that one, since gym was an elective and an easy A, so she could be in a class with mostly seniors.

The rest of her schedule was fantastic; AP Anatomy, AP Zoology, Advance Business Math, Music, Graphic Design, AP College Composition, AP Government. All in all, she had ten classes a day, but since homeroom was only 20 minutes and used to finish up homework, and lunch didn't really count, she only had 8 classes a day. Which was no problem for her. Each class was around 45 minutes long, which wasn't bad. Back at her old school, classes were an hour long, there was no homeroom, and lunch was only 30 minutes.

She was very pleased with her schedule, even if there were a few problems with it.

After double checking the room number, she braced herself before opening the door. Only to find that there was barely anyone in the room. She looked around; no teacher and only a few students. Huh, she must be early. Shrugging, she walked into the room and chose a random desk, hoping that there wasn't assigned seating.

Her desk was center row, near the back. She set her bag down and pulled out her phone, not really caring about the other people in the room. She saw that she had a new text.

 **You have one new text from: Kare Bear**

 **"Kill me now, Calculus suckkkkkkksssssss"**

Sakura typed out a quick reply.

 **New message to: Kare Bear**

 **"At least you don't have to deal with homeroom. Like wtf"**

She got an instant reply.

 **You have one new message from: Kare Bear**

 **"Homeroom? Serious? Wtf is that good for?"**

 **New message to: Kare Bear**

 **"Apparently for making sure students are here, I think. Teach isn't here yet"**

 **You have one new message from: Kare Bear**

 **"Early bird"**

 **New message to: Kare Bear**

 **"Have fun in CalKILLus"**

When she didn't get a reply she figured Karin was busy laughing and rolling her eyes at her horrible pun. She couldn't help it; puns made the world funny.

After waiting for a good five minutes, Sakura got bored. She was about to text Karin, when the morning bell rang. Sakura eyed the door as she heard the hallway outside get louder. Soon enough, people started entering the class a few at a time. She pulled her phone back out and flipped through her Instagram. She was about to take a photo and update it when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She slowly turned around, meeting the eyes of a grinning brunette. They were female, with brown eyes. They had their hair up in twin Chinese buns. Sakura eyed what they were wearing; denim shorts, white Adidas t-shirt, white Adidas sneakers, and a black Adidas cap. She was guessing they were a fitness rat.

"New here?" The girl asked, grinning.

"Obviously," Sakura replied. She vaguely remembered a girl with buns from middle school. She wondered if this girl was the same one.

"Down girl, just asking." The brunette said, holding her hands up in mock surrender. Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I've never seen someone with pink hair around here."

"Just connecting the dots?" Sakura asked, a little nicer. She'd admit that her first answer was a little harsh, but she was on edge. She didn't want to see any of her old friends. The wounds still hurt and the memory was always at the back of her mind. It was petty of her to hold a grudge, but dammit, she was tired of always being nice and always forgiving.

"Something like that. Tenten." The girl introduced.

"Sakura."

"Nice outfit, even if it's a little risky with the dress code." Tenten said, nodding in approval. She already liked Sakura, she had bite.

"Same for you. Fitness rat?" Sakura asked, making sure to take out the sting by adding a smile. Tenten laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, guilty as charged. Punk? Hipster? Rule breaker?" Tenten smiled as Sakura gave a grin before turning around in her seat.

"Mostly a rule breaker, but hipster works, too." Sakura decided that Tenten wasn't so bad. She was able to match her in conversation without getting offended, which was rare. The only other person who could do that was Karin, and she was only ever offended when Suigetsu opened his mouth.

"Nice tat, it mean anything?" Tenten pointed at Sakura's wrist.

"Best friend's first initial. She has mine on her wrist. We got it once we turned 16." Sakura explained. Tenten nodded. Just as Sakura was about to ask is she had any tats of her own, the teacher walked in. He had brown hair in a spiky ponytail and had a scar across the bridge of his nose. Sakura thought the scar was wicked. She so had to get a picture and send it to Karin.

"Alright, let's get roll call over with then you all can head to your respective classes." The teacher said, instantly quieting the class down. Sakura gestured to the front, silently asking Tenten what their name was.

"Mr. Iruka." Tenten whispered, getting the nod from Sakura.

"Huh, looks like we got a new student today." Iruka said, causing the students to look around and mutter among themselves. A few looked back and spotted Sakura, motioned towards her for their friends to see, and pretty soon the entire class was looking at her. Tenten bit back her laugh as Sakura rolled her eyes and lifted her arm up, muttering curses under her breath. "Ah, if you could introduce yourself, please." Iruka said, giving Sakura a smile.

"Yo, I'm Sakura Haruno." She said, effectively making Iruka sweat drop at the lack of formality in her introduction. Sakura didn't bother to stand up or even pretend to be nervous. She said her name so casually and regarded everyone with disinterest; he felt like he had gotten another student to worry about.

"Well, uh, that certainly was, um, thank you, Sakura." Iruka said, unsure of how to continue after that. Sakura shrug and that's when he decided to get roll call done with. While he was calling names, he noticed Sakura conversing quietly with Tenten. Normally he would say something about talking while he was, but he figured Tenten was explaining the rules to her so he would let it slide this time.

Tenten was not, in fact, explaining rules. She was asking questions about Sakura and her old school, trying to figure out if she was in any sports, clubs, special classes. Sakura handed her her schedule and let the other girl look it over. Tenten whistled low, making sure to keep it quiet so Iruka wouldn't yell at them. She was hoping he was letting their conversation slide since Sakura was new.

"Damn girl, advance much?" Tenten whispered asked. Sakura nodded, grinning. Tenten gave a look of approval before handing her the paper back. "A buddy of mine is in a few of those classes, but other than him, I don't know many people."

"Huh, okay. What's his name?" Sakura asked.

"Neji Hyuuga." Tenten said. Sakura got curious at the last name. She swore she had heard it before, she just couldn't recall from where. She figured he might have been another kid from middle school.

"Everyone seems to be here and on time, so you're all dismissed. You are to head straight to your next class or locker, you are not allowed to leave." Iruka said, cutting off Sakura's question. Everyone got up and grabbed their things, the volume in the classroom getting louder with each passing second. Tenten grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her out of the classroom, heading towards her locker. Sakura was surprised to see that Tenten's locker was in the same hallway as hers. Sweet.

"Alright, Neji normally meets me here with our other friend, Lee, which I'm gonna have you avoid."

"Uh, why?"

"He's a lot to handle when first meeting. And he's not that great at witty banter, not like you and I." Tenten said, grinning as Sakura smirked.

"Alright, do they usually go everywhere together?"

"Yeah, so I'm just gonna point you in the direction of your next class and wish you good luck." Tenten said, spinning the pinkette around and gesturing that she go down the hallway in front of her. "Go that way, go upstairs, then it's the third door on your right."

"Thanks Tenten." Sakura said. She waved goodbye and headed off, missing the smirk Tenten had.

"Ooh, I can tell that we're gonna be great friends."

* * *

 **AN: And there you have it. Sakura's first friend in her new school. I didn't want to go the usual route and have it be someone from either the Rookie nine, or the Akatsuki. That's been done enough times. However, Tenten was the perfect choice. She's similar in attitude to Sakura and her style is more casual than the other girl's. Perfect for the rule breaker I have Sakura portrayed as.  
**

 **Let me know what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three: Oh Fuck, Not You  
**

Sakura reach her next class, AP Anatomy, without trouble. She peeked in and saw that the homeroom for her teacher was still going. She wasn't able to see who her teacher was, but she had high hopes that this one wouldn't make her introduce herself to the entire class like Iruka had. She hated doing introductions. Karin was much better at doing that. For two years straight, Karin had done the intros for the both of them, usually adding in that they could kick anyone's ass. After all, what was the point of taking kickboxing if you couldn't use it to end high school fights? Not to mention the hours of practice in their roller derby league helped them throw off the bigger people.

Sakura smiled at the memories of roller derby with Karin and the other girls. She made a mental note to text the others and see how they were doing. Then she made a mental note to ask Tenten if there were any leagues in this city. She really hoped there were.

The bell signalling the end of homeroom rang, which alerted Sakura to the door swinging open beside her. The first person to leave nearly ran into her if she hadn't side stepped them. She noticed they had silver hair slicked back and purple colored eyes. She added a fourth mental note; take a photo without getting caught and send to Karin for the standard sexiness rating. The guy didn't pay her any mind since she had gotten out of his way, but Sakura paid attention to him as he cursed up one hell of a storm while walking through the halls.

She shrugged and waited for the class to empty out. It didn't take long.

Once the last student was gone and Sakura was certain she could go in, she opened the door and was about to head for a seat when she noticed who her teacher was.

"Oh fuck, not you." Sakura said, catching her teacher's attention. They turned around and pretty much had the same reaction.

"Great, it's you." They said before face palming. Sakura rolled her eyes and walked up to her teacher.

"So, this is where you ended up, Kabuto?" Sakura asked, jumping to sit on the desk directly in front of him. He nodded his head and cursed the gods above him. When he had switched jobs he had hoped, no prayed, that he would never see pink hair again until he was ready. But no, the gods were cruel. He got two years. Two! Not the eternity he had prayed for!

"Yes, this is where I ended up. Did you finally get expelled for all the trouble you cause me and the other teachers?" Kabuto asked, not liking the evil gleam in Sakura's eyes. She had, on more than one occasion with her gang, given him trouble whether it be because of fights, pranks, or general classroom chaos. So much, in fact, that he had put in for a new job in a completely different city, so he would never have to deal with her and the others again.

Fate was not kind to him.

"Get off the desk Sakura and go find a seat away from me." Kabuto said, already dreading the rest of the year. Sakura grinned and shrugged before hopping off and walked towards the back of the classroom. He sighed and gestured that she take the seat next to her. She understood the gesture. He apparently had assigned seating. She just hoped her neighbors were as cool as Tenten. While his back was turned, Sakura pulled out her phone and shot a quick text to Karin.

 **New message to: Kare Bear**

 **"Kabuto is my teach for AP Anatomy"**

 **You have one new text from: Kare Bear**

 **"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"**

 **New message to: Kare Bear**

 **"Oh come on, you could at least pretend to feel sorry for him."**

 **You have one new text from: Kare Bear**

 **"I do, he got the short end of the stick."**

 **New message to: Kare Bear**

 **"Oi, fuck you bitch."**

 **You have one new message from: Kare Bear**

 **"Love you too, now go ruin someone's day"**

Sakura chuckled to herself as her classmates came in. She didn't really pay them any mind. They were all seniors or advance juniors like her.

Class went by quickly, with Sakura being given a large amount of work to complete in order to catch up. While Kabuto and her had a bad history, he knew she was smarter than others and was not about to let her sit idly by. Sakura was undeterred by the pile of work. She knew this would happen and had prepared. She started her pile while Kabuto allowed the rest of the class to study for their upcoming test. He would allow Sakura to take it if she felt she was ready for it. He was mean, but he wasn't evil.

The bell rang and everyone packed up their things before heading to their next class. Sakura was the last to leave since she had completed the easier assignments. Kabuto accepted them, already knowing they would be 100s. He sighed as she walked out, banging his head down on his desk repeatedly. He cursed his fate once more.

Sakura walked through the halls looking for her next class, AP Zoology. When she found the classroom, she walked up to the teacher and did the normal new student thing and asked for her seat and any and all assignments she needed to complete in order to catch up. The teacher was a nice man, Genma was his name, and gave her what she needed. He told her to pick a seat wherever and to get started on her work. The rest of the class was doing a project and she would be exempt from it. Sakura was happy and began her work. Most of them were challenging, since she didn't know animals as well as people, but she was determined to catch up and get an A.

While she worked, one of her classmates noticed her presence and sat next to her. Their project was done and turned in, so they could do whatever during the period.

They watched as she worked on one particularly hard packet, noticing she got stumped by a question.

"Kingdom." They said, startling her. Sakura's head popped up to look at her classmate. "The answer, it's Kingdom, as in-"

"Thanks." She said, cutting them off. She wrote in the answer and was about to go back to silence when her classmate spoke again.

"You new?" They asked.

"Well aren't you obvious." Sakura shot back.

"Careful there, kitten."

"Don't call me that." She snapped. She hated people calling her kitten. She was not cute, small, helpless-

"Want me to call you something else?" They asked, cutting off her train of thought. At that moment she blew a big pink bubble and raised an eyebrow. "How about short stack?" Another bubble. "Squirt?" Two bubbles in a row. "What do you want me to call you?"

"How about my name?" Sakura asked, even though she hadn't meant it as a question. The bite in her voice made her neighbor grin.

"You gonna tell me?"

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." She said, smirking when her classmate chuckled. Their laugh was deep and resonated in her chest. She liked that. And she was starting to like them, they were funny, despite their lack of creativity when it came to nicknames.

"Alright, I'll give ya that. Name's Kisame. Yours?" Sakura looked at the extended hand and gave it a strong shake.

"Sakura. Nice to meet ya, shark boy." She let out a bark of laughter at Kisame's look. He was clearly confused.

"Shark boy?" He asked.

"You have gills tattooed on your cheeks, your hair is a dark blue and styled like a fin, and your teeth look positively sharp. Hence the nickname, shark boy." Sakura explained, laughing again at the indignant look Kisame gave her. She couldn't help it, she felt like the world had given her the perfect opportunity and she couldn't waste it.

"Bubblegum chewing brat." Kisame responded with. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Bite me, shark boy."

Kisame wasn't sure how to respond to that.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, so I felt like that one added a good amount of humor and gave you some insight into what Sakura used to do back at her old high school.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four: First Day Troubles Already  
**

Sakura was able to get through her advance maths class without much trouble, even with Kisame walking her there and introducing her to his friend Kakazu, who, she found out, was a genius when it came to business. She didn't necessarily struggle with the work, however without having someone show her how to do the formulas and go over the steps, she got stuck a few times. Luckily she had the book and if need be, she could text Juugo and ask him for help later tonight. She already planned on skyping with them all, so she figured it wouldn't hurt to ask for help with math. The four of them used to have study sessions and they would help each other out when they could. She just hoped they could continue, even if it had to be through skype. About halfway through the period, Kakazu begrudgingly answered her questions on some of the tougher problems. Then she found out he normally charged people for tutoring and Sakura vowed to never asked him for help again.

When class was over, Kisame showed up, grinning like he had discovered something great. She was about to ask him when he blurted it out.

"Bubblegum Bitch," he said, earning a groan from her.

"Whatever, shark boy." She grumbled, walking by him and heading towards the cafeteria. He followed, laughing to himself. Sakura gave him the bird, which made him laugh even more. While they walked they exchanged petty insults and witty banter, which Sakura enjoyed immensely. Kisame also enjoyed the fact that she wasn't nervous around him. She acted like they were old friends, which made him wonder if she had a friend like him.

When they got to the cafeteria, Sakura froze as her eyes locked on someone. Kisame stood behind and followed her line of sight and rolled his eyes. She was staring at Sasuke, Itachi's little brother. He should've known. Someone like her would be attracted to someone like Sasuke. He was just about to leave her there when she growled low. He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Oi, kitten, what's wrong?" He asked. Sakura snapped her eyes to him and sneered as she flicked her eyes back to Sasuke.

"That asshole. I should've known he was still here." She said, before heading towards the lunch line. She was hungry and just wanted to grab her food. She didn't want to deal with him, or the others, today. She felt rather than saw Kisame following behind her at a slower pace. She wondered if it was cause he knew who she was pissed at, or if because he wasn't in much of a rush. As it would be (curse the gods above) she had to walk by Sasuke's table in order to get to the lunch line. She kept her and eyes forward, not even acknowledging him and the others.

She was almost there when she felt something snag one of her feet and suddenly she was falling. Sakura threw her hands in front of her and was able to stop herself from falling on her face. She felt food crumbs under her hand and she heard the room go quiet.

It was just like that dance all over again. She was gonna be the center of attention, rumors were gonna fly, and she was gonna have to-

No, like hell was she gonna allow that shit to happen again. Sakura growled, yes growled, as she stood up, dusting her hands off. She slowly turned around and looked for the culprit. She saw Sasuke sitting in his chair, smirking at her. She saw blonde girl, Ino, her old friend, sitting next to him and she looked a little embarrassed.

Ah, so it was Ino, but by the way she kept sneaking looks at Sasuke, she figured he must've said something to her to make her do it.

Well, Sasuke looked like he was waiting for her to repeat her actions from two years ago, and so did everyone else at the table.

Sakura flicked her eyes over to Kisame, who looked annoyed and a little angry. She flicked them around until she found Tenten's. Her friend was halfway out of her seat, looking like she had been ready to help her.

She slowly flicked them back to the culprits and made eye contact with Sasuke. He was waiting, and so was everyone else. Sakura decided that she shouldn't keep them waiting.

She slowly walked over to them, bypassing the others, before she had passed their chairs. Without thinking about it, she grabbed the back of both their chairs and pulled backwards and then down as hard as she could. Her movement effectively had them tipping backwards and falling to the floor.

Sakura smirked in satisfaction. Now they had to look up at her.

She turned on her heel and went to the lunch line, feeling Kisame's presence behind her. She swore she heard Dorothy's song "Raise Hell" play in her head as she walked away. When she felt someone trying to burn a hole through the back of her head, she turned around with the most disinterested look she could muster. Ino looked embarrassed and ready to cry while Sasuke looked murderous.

"Kitten, why do I feel like you were a troublemaker in a past life?" Kisame asked. Sakura flashed him a shit eating grin that made him chuckle.

"Because I was. And still am." She replied, feeling entirely too smug for herself. God, that felt great. In one day she made it very clear that you don't fuck with her.

"Bubblegum Bitch fits ya perfectly."

"Oh shove it, shark boy."

"Watch it, I bite."

"Really, cause you sound more like you're all bark, no bite."

"Like you would know."

"Oh trust me, I bite, shark boy, and I bite hard." Sakura said, grinning with an evil gleam in her eyes.

Sure, she didn't have her friends here with her, so she didn't have her normal back up should things get dicy, but she figured that this school didn't have daily fights. It was pretty obvious by the way everyone acted after her little stunt that fights were rare.

It was only her first day and she was already causing trouble. Karin would be so proud of her.

* * *

 **AN: So it's short, but I really felt like a confrontation was in the works for Sakura. After all, she was able to avoid most of her old friends in her regular classes, and I feel like Sasuke would be the kind of asshole to do something like that. He tore her down once, and she left. He figured he could tear her down again and get the same results. Boy, was he wrong. And I figured he also wouldn't be man enough to do it himself, so he would have one of the girls do it in order to start some petty catfight.  
**

 **Again, he was very, very, wrong about the end results.**

 **If you have any ideas for who Sakura should be paired with, let me know in a review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five: Aftermath  
**

 _"You can't be serious."_ Karin said, her mouth hanging open in shock. Sakura normally would've made a smartass comment about trying to catch flies, but resisted due to the topic of conversation.

"Dead serious." Sakura replied.

 _"I don't think the dead can be serious, Cherry."_ Suigetsu commented, his trademark smirk gone for a look of concentration. He was busy with a history essay; and it looked like Juugo was as well.

"The dead don't have much going for them," she said back, wondering if she should switch over to her Zoology homework.

 _"So let me get this straight; you walk into the lunchroom, escorted by a sexy senior-"_ Karin began.

"Kare Bear-"

 _"Shut up, Kura-chan. And you just happen to walk by that asshole's table because that's where the general direction of the lunch line is-"_

 _"Karin, I'm pretty certain Sakura knows the story-"_ Juugo interjected, only to be cut off by Karin.

 _"I'm fully aware of that. So you just happen to walk by and then what, some blonde bitch sticks her foot out and trips you?"_ Karin asked, making sure she had the facts straight. Sakura nodded, scribbling down some answers before switching to her math homework. She grabbed the textbook and began to copy some of the answers down from the back of the book because she did not have time to actually do the work and then check her answer. She had other classes to catch up in. _"And you do the badass slow mo turn around, probably glaring daggers- don't give me that look, you know what I'm saying is true- and you're looking for blood."_

"Karin, I wasn't 'looking for blood'." Sakura said, most definitely using air quotes. Karin gave her the bird and rolled her eyes.

 _"Yeah, yeah, quit ruining the good story."_

 _"Karin, it's Sakura's story."_ Juugo said, giving Sakura a shrug as if to say, 'nothing's changed'. Sakura gave him a grin in return.

 _"I know that! Let me tell the fucking story the way it should be!"_ Karin yelled, annoyed with Juugo. Sakura rolled her eyes, but couldn't wipe the smile off her face if she tried. _"You look at the asshole, then the blonde bitch- who by the way, is already on my hit list, so ya know- and then you look at your two newbies- good choices- and then you look back at the asshole because you just know it was his idea and the blonde bitch was his lackey-"_

"Her name is Ino." Sakura added, satisfied that she finished the majority of her math homework. She would finish the rest in homeroom the next day. She grabbed her AP Government textbook and pulled out the assignments that she needed to get done by the end of the week. The teacher for that class, Asuma-sensei, was a taskmaster. She swore it on whatever deity she had prayed to that class period.

 _"Pig! Even better of a name! Okay, and then you being the bad bitch I raised you to be, sashayed over there and promptly threw them to the ground."_ Karin completed, grinning like a devil. She was so proud of Sakura, even if she was pissed off and wanted revenge, but proud nonetheless. After all, it wasn't everyday that someone would dare pick on Sakura.

"I didn't necessarily throw them down, I just brought them down to a level I was okay with." Sakura defended.

 _"Which involved them on their hands and knees, looking up at you with anger and fear."_ Suigetsu chimed in. Sakura had the decency to look offended, even if it was totally fake. _"So, how are ya gonna deal with the aftermath?"_ He asked, looking at the clock and grimacing. He had an early wake up; swim team required an hour practice before school and a two hour practice after. He was not looking forward to a 5am alarm.

"Oh you know, the usual." Sakura replied, closing her government book. She was tired and didn't feel like doing anymore work. It looked like her friends were of the same mindset.

 _"Damn the consequences?"_ Juugo supplied, to which Sakura gave him a thumbs up. He nodded before saying goodnight and signing off. Suigetsu followed shortly after with a request for gossip. Karin rolled her eyes at him and called him a gossiping old lady once she was sure he had logged off. After a few seconds of silence, which Sakura took that as the cue for some serious girl talk, Karin finally said something.

 _"We miss you, Kura-chan."_ She said, her voice softer than normal. Sakura nodded and gave her a smile. _"Like, a lot. Classes just aren't the same, even if you were in advance ones. I don't have my partner in crime anymore, and it really fucking sucks."_

"I know Kare Bear. It's just two years and then we can go forward with our plan to open up whatever shop we decided on and run a business together while going to college." Sakura said, wanting more than ever to be there with Karin. She really did miss her.

 _"We all decided to run a pizza parlor. Suigetsu and Juugo had majority."_

"Those little fuckers- no, we're doing a coffee shop that sales yummy pastries and shit."

 _"I'll make sure to tell them that. Text ya later."_ Karin said before logging off. Sakura just stared at her computer screen, blinking quickly. She refused to cry, even though she really, really wanted to. She needed her friends, here, with her. She didn't know how she was gonna survive two years at this school. She had already gained attention, negative attention, and was probably on Sasuke's 'to end painfully' list.

Fuck, how was she gonna deal with the consequences of her actions?

* * *

 **AN: Tell me what you think. So, there will be drama, but it'll be regular high school drama that involves rumors, fights, teen problems, blah blah blah. Not gonna do the whole 'every guy suddenly falls in lust with Sakura cause she's the new girl and they want her/want to protect her from the Akatsuki' thing, because that's overused and gets boring after awhile.  
**

 **Also, Sakura WILL NOT revert to her former personality in the face of hot guys. She's strong, badass, and doesn't have time for silly games.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six: Apology?  
**

When Sakura headed to school the next day, it was with anticipation for what the day would bring. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night, spending most of the night alternating between crying and trying to get comfortable. All in all, she felt like hell and was pretty certain that she looked like it, but she was too prideful to let her feelings get in the way.

She had thrown on a black t-shirt with 'FucksGiven 00' on the front in white lettering; white, distressed jeans with the cuffs rolled up; white Adidas sneakers. She threw her hair up into a styled messy bun, swiped some mascara and maroon lipstick on, and considered herself good to go. She left without seeing either of her parents, so she figured that they were at work. She didn't feel all that hungry, but grabbed a protein shake anyway.

After getting to school, all Sakura wanted to do was go to homeroom and lay her head down until she was dismissed. But, it looked like her new friend Tenten had a different plan.

"Sakura!" Tenten shouted, catching the pinkette's attention. She noticed her outfit, the tired look in her eyes, and figured she could use something strong and caffeinated. Without a word, she looped her arm around Sakura's and dragged the the new girl to the food truck. Sakura blinked in surprise; she hadn't known about this.

"Is this-"

"Yep."

"Is it always-"

"Yep," Tenten replied, knowing what Sakura had been thinking. "I prefer getting lunch from them over the cafeteria. Less people, little more expensive, but really good food. Like, world known good food." Sakura smiled at Tenten, happy she had brought her here. She now had a way to get food and avoid Sasuke and his crew. She really, really didn't want another confrontation. That first one was a warning. After that, Sakura was gonna go hard body and kick his ass.

"So long as they got coffee, I don't care how good their food is." Sakura commented. The guy manning the register saw them and gave a flirty smile. Sakura glanced at Tenten and scoped out her outfit. Blue skinny jeans with torn knees; white t-shirt with a blue breast pocket; grey flannel tied around her waist; white converse. Sakura noted that Tenten's hair was down and looked wavy. She thought she looked pretty with her hair down.

"Hello ladies~." The guy greeted them, leaning forward while flashing them his biceps. Sakura wanted to laugh at his bad attempts. Tenten blushed a little and smiled back. "What can Haji get you two?" He asked. Sakura looked over their coffee menu and found something, while Tenten couldn't decide.

"Grande iced caramelized honey latte." Sakura ordered, handing over the required bills before stepping to the side. Haji shifted his focus to Tenten, who was ordering some strange coffee that sounded more sugar than actual coffee. Sakura raised an eyebrow when Tenten flirted with Haji. When she was done, she moved over to the pick-up window where Sakura was, a stupid grin on her face. She saw Sakura smirking at her with an all knowing look in her eyes. Tenten at least had the decency to blush.

"What?"

"You seem awfully chipper." Sakura commented, accepting her drink while staring at Tenten. She even took a drink before glancing at Haji, who was still looking at Tenten, then back to Tenten. Then she wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Sakura!" Tenten said, embarrassed that she had been caught. Sakura laughed as Tenten was handed her ridiculous drink, linking their arms together as she steered them towards the building.

"Don't worry, your little secret is safe with me." Sakura said, laughing again as Tenten smacked her half-heartedly with her free hand. "So, wanna explain what that was all about?" Sakura asked, sipping away at her heaven in a cup. Tenten blushed a little harder and kept quiet as they passed a large group of students. She glanced at them a few times, which didn't go unnoticed by Sakura.

She looked over and felt her grip on her coffee tighten. Sasuke was with his friends, and they were partially blocking the front doors. Sakura was about to ask Tenten if there was another way in, but saw that she was reaching up to put her hair back up.

"You look great with it down." Sakura said, halting the other girl's actions. Tenten smiled, grateful that someone had noticed.

"Thanks."

"They friends of yours?"

"More like friends of Lee. I hang out with them sometimes." Tenten explained, a little nervous that Sakura would get angry with her about being associated with Sasuke and them. She wasn't gonna lie; after seeing Sakura humiliate and embarrass Sasuke yesterday, she was a little in awe of her. No one had ever tried something like that; it was unheard of people getting into fights.

"Makes sense." Sakura replied. They kept walking forward, both with the intent of getting to homeroom before the bell rang. Tenten wanted to get to know Sakura more, and Sakura wanted to tease Tenten for her crush on Haji.

However, it looked like Sasuke's wannabe gang had other plans for them. Sasuke stepped in front of them, trying to block them from going any farther. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him.

"Apologize." He said, his tone demanding. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him.

"No." She said, shocking him. No one had ever said no to him before. It was his turn to narrow his eyes at her. Sakura wanted to laugh; his glare had nothing on Juugo's. When the gentle giant got mad, it was best to stay out of sight.

"Apologize. Now."

"You hard of hearing? I said no. Now move." Sakura snapped at him, her patience running thin. Tenten didn't know where to look.

"No." Sasuke responded back, smirking when Sakura's glare turn angry. He thought he had won this battle of wills, only to get a very cold reality check.

Sakura had thrown the rest of her iced coffee in his face. She had even made sure to splash the last drops on his shoes before dropping her cup.

Sasuke sputtered in shock, his eyes widening a fraction of a centimeter. Sakura smirked as she shoved past him and made her way inside with Tenten. Who was dying from laughter. She had never seen someone be ballsy enough to throw coffee at Sasuke! Most people were too scared of him, or his big brother, Itachi.

"Could you believe that asshole?! He wanted me to apologize! Apologize for what?! For him having his head so far up his ass he can't smell that his shit stinks?!" Sakura yelled, waving her arms as she emphasized her point. Tenten bent over, holding onto a wall for support. God, she hadn't laughed this long in a long time.

"Sakura...Sakura I can't believe you did that!" Tenten said, her laughter finally calming down as they finally reached homeroom. They went to their seats and sat down. Sakura still looked upset. "Sakura? You okay?"

"My poor coffee..." Sakura muttered, slamming her head down on her desk.

Tenten started to laugh again as the bell rang for the day.

* * *

 **AN: So, what do you think of that little confrontation? I've always wanted Sakura to dump a drink on Sasuke.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven: Practice  
**

Sakura breathed heavily, her face threatening to split in half from her smile. She rolled her shoulders, wincing when they protested. They were still sore from her earlier crash into Karin. Rubbing the back of her neck, Sakura rolled over to the bench where her stuff was and grabbed her Calia water bottle. The bottom half had cherries and strawberries while the top half had water. She loved this water bottle. It gave her flavored water without having to worry about sugar, calories, and all that other shit. Not to mention, it was one of the very few designer items she had bought.

"Good practice today, Kura-chan." Karin said, rolling up and falling down beside her. Sakura grinned, slinging an arm around her best friend. The past school week had been stressful for the both of them; Sakura with moving and adjusting; Karin with losing her partner in crime. Both had thought they would never survive the next two school years, but when Sakura's parents told her she could still be a part of the roller derby team, they had found a silver lining.

"Says the girl who body checked me into a wall." Sakura replied, taking a swig of her water. Karin chuckled and grabbed her own water, taking a few sips before speaking.

"Had to make sure you weren't getting rusty."

"And you figured me hitting a wall was the best way to figure that out?"

"Yep," she said. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You're homicidal."

"Only with you," Karin ducked Sakura's slap, chuckling as the pinkette growled in annoyance. They heard skates heading their way and looked up, seeing their team captain, Tayuya. Sakura gave a lazy, two finger salute. Karin just nodded her head towards the older girl.

"Good practice, keep this up and those bitches from North side won't see what hit them next week." Tayuya told them, smiling down at her cousin and friend. Karin gave a smirk and Sakura rolled her eyes. But there was a gleam in them that told a story. The last time Sakura had gone up against the girls from the North, one of them threw her over the small barrier that separates the crowd from the skaters. She had gotten thrown out of the game; Sakura had been nursing a vicious grudge ever since.

"If that bitch is there, Sakura may just fucking rip her head off, huh Kura-chan?" Karin nudged Sakura's side, purposely hitting a forming bruise. Sakura smacked her in the back of the head.

"Nah, I'll just throw her over the wall and jump her."

"That'll get you fucking kicked out." Tayuya told her.

"Yeah, but at least she'll get kicked out, too." Sakura reasoned, rubbing the back of her neck in order to get a kink. Tayuya shook her head before skating off to talk to the rest of the team.

"Try not to get kicked out; it's your first game of the year." Karin said, resting her head on Sakura's shoulder. She closed her eyes and grabbed her hand, holding onto it like a lifeline. Sakura didn't say anything, she just squeezed her hand in response. She knew that these practices were important to Karin, same with the games. It gave her a chance to let loose, to not be the perfect student and daughter that her parents wanted her to be. They also allowed her to see Sakura, even if it was for a few hours every Saturday and Sunday.

The silence was ruined when Karin's phone went off. She sighed dramatically and moved away to answer it. She grumbled under her breath. It was her other cousin, the annoying one.

"I swear, I'm gonna kill him."

"He demanding something?" Sakura asked, finishing her water and chewing on the soggy fruit. Karin made a gagging sound which was ignored.

"He wants to know if I know what time our game is, as his mother really wants to come." Karin grumbled out, dialing his number so she could yell at him. Sakura's phone chose that moment to buzz. She raised an eyebrow and unlocked it, wondering who could be texting her.

 **You have one new text from: Fitness Rat**

 **"You free tomorrow morning?"**

 **New message to: Fitness Rat**

 **"Yeah, why?"**

 **You have one new text from: Fitness Rat**

 **"I need some girl talk that doesn't involve the latest fashion trends..."**

 **New message to: Fitness Rat**

 **"Lol, sure thing. I'll let my parents know when I get home."**

 **You have one new text from: Fitness Rat**

 **"How's practice going?"**

 **New message to: Fitness Rat**

 **"Good, just finished. Got body checked into a wall."**

 **You have one new text from: Fitness Rat**

 **"Damn girl, you okay?"**

 **New message to: Fitness Rat**

 **"Yeah, it could be worse. I could've been thrown over the barrier or tackled."**

She didn't receive a reply back, which was normal. Tenten would get distracted by one of her other friends. She understood what it was like to juggle friendships.

"Trouble at home?" Karin asked. Sakura shook her head and tossed her phone back into her mint green Nike gym bag. Karin had a slightly bigger one in maroon.

"Nah, Tenten just wants to have girl talk without the girly bits." Sakura explained, unlacing her skates and taking them off. She wrinkled her nose, she would definitely be taking a shower at the gym before she got into her car. Karin nodded, oddly quiet. Sakura sighed. Anytime she brought up Tenten and their going friendship, Karin would get quiet and distant. Sakura lightly punched the red head in the shoulder.

"What the fuck was that for?" Karin growled.

"You got mopey and sad." Sakura replied. Karin's glare disappeared and was quickly replaced by a look of distant indifference.

"What ever."

"Kare Bear," Sakura said softly, wrapping her arms around Karin and pulling her in for a sweaty hug. Karin pretended to resist, but ultimately gave in because she knew Sakura was just trying to look out for her.

"Let go or people will start to think we're a couple."

"They already think that."

"...Touche." Karin huffed out before pulling away. She stood, offering a hand to Sakura who gladly took it. The two linked arms and walked towards the shower room, discussing the previous week and any good gossip they had heard. All was right in the world for this short time, but neither would have it any other way.

* * *

 **AN: So, tell me what you think and what you want to see happen.  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Eight: Sunday Chat  
**

"So, let me get this straight," Tenten began, popping a blackberry into her mouth, "you used to go to the middle school here with Sasuke, Naruto, Ino, and all the others. You and Ino were best friends until you realized she liked the same boy as you, which happened to be Sasuke, and you terminated your friendship with her-"

"Terminate is kinda harsh." Sakura interjected, only to have a blueberry thrown at her. She caught it and popped it in her mouth.

"No, harsh is slamming someone down on the ground. Anyway, you then spent the next two years trying to recreate yourself to be the perfect girl for Sasuke, and ended up losing a lot of your friends because they didn't agree."

"Correct," Sakura replied, stretching her legs out on the couch. Tenten ate some more fruit, that Sakura had provided for their little get together, and grinned as she got to the rest of Sakura's story about why she hated Sasuke, aka Duck Ass, and why she was hellbent on ruining his days with her mere presence.

"After losing your friends, you muster up enough courage to ask Sasuke to a upcoming Valentine's day dance and he said yes. Rumors were flying about - which you shoulda beaten the shit outta the kids who were spreading them, by the way - and you were as happy as can be. The night of the dance comes; you're looking all pretty and dolled up and you thought the world of Sasuke. Halfway through the dance he decides to make an announcement, you think he's about to declare his eternal love for you-"

"Okay, when you say it, it sounds embarrassing as hell." Sakura groaned, burying her face in a turquoise throw pillow as Tenten cackled. She was regretting telling her the story, but she had a right to know why she was so angry and spiteful to him.

"That's cause it is." Tenten replied, ducking as the previously mentioned throw pillow was chucked at her with scary accuracy. She was so gonna have Sakura join the softball team in the spring with her.

"You gonna continue retelling my story to me, or sit there and eat all my fucking fruit?" Sakura asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Her words held no bite to them.

"Yeah, yeah, geez. Patience young padawan. Okay, back to the story of how Sakura swore vengeance on the unluckiest person alive. Sasuke does make an announcement, and it is about you, but not what you were expecting. He tells you - and the whole school like the asshole that he is - that he had only agreed to go with you as a joke, which tore your little heart to shreds. Instead of crying, like everyone thought you would, you stand there and take it as gracefully as a queen. When you feel it's appropriate, you leave the school without a word and go home. You tell your parents what happened because halfway through your walk you start crying, and then you go to bed. You don't return to school for a long time, no one contacts you directly, only asking your parents. When you do return, you were changed. Did I miss anything?" Tenten asked, scooting to the edge of the cushion, looking at Sakura who had switched to laying on the couch backwards, with her feet over the back and her head hanging off the front.

"You missed the part where I moved and became friends with Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo." She added.

"That's cause you haven't told me that part yet."

"...Oh, right. Well, that'll be for another day, when you can actually meet them and hear their sides." Sakura said, wondering how long it would take for the blood to rush to her head. She figured not that long, since she was already getting a headache. She swung her feet back over, effectively pivoting her entire body to follow the momentum created until she was in a correct sitting position.

She immediately regretted doing that as he head began to pound and she wanted to pass out.

"By the way, you still haven't shown me your room." Tenten offered up, knowing that her friends were a touchy subject. The most she got about them was their names, ages, looks, and what they used to do as a group. She also knew Sakura had a tattoo on her right leg that symbolized all of them. It was of a red Koi fish swimming through waves with sakura blossoms floating by. The Koi represented Juugo, the gentle giant, while the red color represented Karin. The waves were done in the traditional Japanese style to represent Suigetsu who used to live in a coastal town, and the blossoms represented Sakura herself. It was the biggest tat she had as it spanned from the top of her right hip to her knee cap. Tenten found it touching and badass.

"Oh fuck," Sakura muttered after her headache went away. She grabbed her glass of cucumber water and took a few sips before standing up. She grabbed Tenten's hands and pulled her up, dragging her towards her room. Without saying anything, she opened the door and quickly shoved Tenten inside.

Her room was very much styled to be an extension of her personality; two of her walls were painted a mint green while the other two were a creamy white. She had a bay window with a teal window seat that looked out over the neighborhood. They both noticed the dark, heavy clouds in the sky; it was gonna rain soon. Her bed was against the wall facing her window and she had a white iron bed frame. Wrapped around the bed frame were miniature Moroccan lamps. Above her bed on the white wall was a wooden and twine picture display. Tenten became extremely curious about the pictures, but wanted to look around some more. By her bed was a turquoise night stand that held her laptop and fujifilm instax mini 8 camera. On the wall to the right of her bed was a door, which led to her small walk-in closet, and on the left was the door to her room and a white dresser. Her floors were dark brown hardwood and in front of her bed there was a green rectangular rug.

All in all, her room was impressive even if it was lacking other colors.

"My mother wanted to paint my room pink, like when I had it as a kid, but I wanted dark green. She thought green was fine, but I had to pick a lighter, brighter color."

"So you went with mint?" Tenten asked, looking at the pictures she had hung up. A lot of them were of her friends, her parents, various activities that she did, and some had a large Burmese mountain dog in them. Tenten voiced her curiosity about the dog.

"That's Mochi. Mom and dad took him to the vet for his annual check up today. Big lap dog, lazy as hell though." Sakura said.

"Huh, sounds like Shikamaru."

"Wait, that lazy ass is still in school?" Sakura asked, her mouth open in shock. Tenten laughed at the sight and nodded.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Nine: Confrontation Time**

Sakura had barely woken up when her phone went off, informing her that someone was calling her. She blinked the sleepiness out of her eyes before grabbing her phone. She unlocked it and answered, yawning loudly.

" 'Ello?" She asked, her voice colored heavily with sleep. The person on the other end chuckled deeply; she knew that laugh, it had quickly become one of her favorites. "Shark boy?"

 _"G'mornin', bubblegum,"_ Kisame greeted, making her roll her eyes at the nickname. Ever since the first meeting he had refused to change his name for her. He said it represented her "bubbly personality and quickness to snap", or some stupid bullshit like that. She grinned to herself, curious as to why her senior was calling her on this particular Wednesday morning.

"Not that I don't like hearing your voice first thing in the morning," she began, completely unaware of the effect she had on the big guy (he was eternally grateful that he hadn't chosen to facetime her, he didn't want her seeing his red hot face), "But may I inquire as to why you called me at-" she glanced at her clock, it was 6:30 a.m, "Jesus fuck! Kisame, why the fuck did you wake me up so damn early?!" She shouted at him, her forehead forming a tick. Her alarm didn't go off for another15 minutes, and even that was too early.

 _"Easy there, kitten, I was going to be nice and offer you a ride to school, but if you're so upset-"_ she cut him off quickly, throwing her covers off and sitting up.

"Whoa there, who said I was upset?" She asked, putting her phone on speaker as she stood up to stretch her muscles. Last night's derby practice had been hard and she was starting to feel the effects already.

 _"Now that I think about it, it would be funny to see you drenched,"_ Kisame was chuckling to himself at the idea of seeing Sakura soaking wet as she walked to school in the torrential downpour that he was driving in, she would probably resemble a wet kitten, all angry and hissing.

"Aww, Kisame, is that your way of saying you want to see me wet?" Sakura shot back, her tone turning flirtatious and sultry. She heard Kisame choke, his laughter quickly replaced with him coughing and trying to get air back in his lungs. A second passed by before she was laughing, clutching her stomach as a few tears slipped out. A few minutes passed by before Sakura was able to quiet her laughter, knowing that Kisame was fuming on the other end.

 _"You know what, you can fuckin' walk."_ Kisame growled out, hoping she would believe that he was angry with her. His hopes were shout down when he heard her snort in amusement at him. He rolled his eyes before rolling his window down, feeling like it was getting a bit stuffy in his car. He tugged at the collar of his grey t-shirt, cursing his luck of being easily aroused by the pink-haired demon he had befriened all those weeks ago. If he had known she would be this intriguing and infuriating at the same time, he wouldn't have helped her on her packet. Would've saved him in the long run.

"Oh fuck off, you know you love me." Sakura snapped back at her phone, walking into her closet so she could get ready for the day. She happened a glance back at her window, seeing the absolute tidal wave of raining pouring down and quickly decided on wearing something warm, but still light enough so she wouldn't die from the humidity later. That was another thing she missed about her old home; it was always cold right after a good rain, no humidity to suffocate you the minute you stepped outside. "Besides, if you were truly angry with me, you would've hung up by now."

 _Well shit,_ Kisame thought, _she ain't wrong._

 _"Shut up, bubblegum, and just give me your fuckin' address or you're walkin'."_ Sakura nodded before remembering that he couldn't see her. She grabbed her phone and texted him the address, before tossing it back onto her bed so she could get dress. While she got dressed, they chatted for a little longer before he told her that he would be there in 20 and hung up. She chuckled to herself, wondering how the hell they ended up friends. Going off solely appearances, they looked like they shouldn't even be in the same social circles, let alone the same classes. He looked like a scary giant that could crush you without even trying, and she looked like an innocent little fairy who would turn to dust in blew hard enough. But, that was appearances, and those held no basis with her. In the short time they'd been friends, she had learned quickly that Kisame was similar to Juugo in many ways. Both were gentle giants at heart, both had a fondness for small, furry animals (Kisame would deny it to his death, but that man absolutely melted whenever he saw photos of her big dog), and they were both incredibly smart.

Sakura wasn't dumb, she heard the rumors that surrounded her friend. People said he belonged to a dangerous street gang, with many of their members having violent tendencies. People also said he was nothing but muscle, too stupid to go to college. When she had first heard them, she immediately went to Kisame and asked him if there was any validity to the first one (she knew the second was untrue, as he was in many of her advance classes) and he hadn't wanted to talk to her. But she kept at him for a week, until he finally snapped one day after school.

 _"Fuckin' hell, why the fuck do you care so much, huh? So what if I am, huh? Whacha gonna do 'bout it?!" He shouted at her, his anger and frustration rolling off of him in violent waves. He was sure she was gonna cower in fear at his outburst and leave him in the dust, after all, every other girl he had even remotely talked to did. It didn't matter if he would never, ever lay a hand on them. The minute they saw him angry, they left and ran crying wolf to whoever would listen to them. He figured Sakura would be the same, and he wouldn't admit it, but it hurt to think she was like the others. When he turned around to her, he got something unexpected. Sakura was sitting on the table he had jumped from, staring at him with a bored look. Like she was unimpressed with his display of aggression. She patted the spot next to her and he quietly sat back down. Once he did, she flicked his ear. "What the fuck," he murmured._

 _"Quit pouting, shark boy, you're too handsome to be making that face." She said, not looking at him. If he had been paying attention, he would've noticed that light dusting of pink on her cheeks. But he hadn't, he had been too thrown off._

 _"Wha?" Was his intelligent reply. She snorted, earning another look of confusion from him._

 _"You're not the first person to explode in anger in front of me, ya know? One of my best friends, Juugo, he does the same thing from time to time. Something will just set him off and he'll go in this blind rage." She said softly, wondering why the hell she was telling him this shit. "When he gets like that, me and the others have learned to keep our distance and let him get it outta his system. He doesn't hurt anyone, just kinda tears things to shreds." She smiled a little, remembering the last time Juugo had been set off. He had seen some asshole kick a random dog and Juugo blew up, calling that man every name under the sun while waving his arms around. The poor bastard had pissed himself and tried to apologize, but Juugo wouldn't have it. He continued on for a good 10 minutes before he picked the dog up and stalked off. Juugo then adopted that dog and showered it with love and affection. "So don't look at me like you expect me to be scared of you, that's never gonna happen." She finished, patting his hand before hopping off and walking off. Kisame had sat there for a little while longer before he smiled to himself. Then he got up and left as well, already late for swim practice._

Ever since that day, Sakura had noticed that Kisame seemed to smile more around her, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, or something.

She shook her head and finshed getting ready. She checked her outfit in her mirror, liking what she saw. She had chosen to wear a long, black A line skirt, with a slit on the right side that showed off her tat (it went up past her fingertips, which was fine with her); a long sleeved, cropped, maroon shirt; thigh high, black stockings; and black ankle boots. Sakura grinned, thinking she looked hot. She snapped a picture and sent it to Karin, not expecting a reply for awhile as Karin was not an early riser, no matter what. Satisfied, Sakura walked to her vanity and decided that since her outfit was on the vampy side, she would have her makeup match that. She went a little dramatic on her winged eyeliner, making it sharp enough to kill her enemies, and swiped on her favorite maroon lipstick to match her top. Her eyeshadow was a blended, smokey masterpiece, giving her that otherworldly look. To finish it all up, she swiped on some highlighter on her cheekbones before blowing herself a kiss.

She grabbed her black preacher hat as she walked out of her room, making sure to swipe her phone and bag before she headed downstairs. She passed by Mochi and gave his ear some scratche, which earned her a few lazy tail thumps, before going down the stairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed a mango protein smoothie while scrolling through her phone as she waited for Kisame to pull up.

A loud knock on the front door startled her. She finished her breakfast before grabbing her stuff and headed to the front door. She had an inkling it was Kisame, but was a little surprised that he actually walked up to her door instead of just honking for her.

Kisame waited patiently for Sakura to open the door, and when she did, he had to remind himself that it was rude to openly stare at someone. Sakura said something to him, to which he nodded to, before turning around to grab her bag, keys, and called out a goodbye to her parents before stepping out to shut the door. Kisame had enough sense of mind to step back so she could, otherwise it would've been hella awkward for them. As she locked the door, Kisame quickly did a once over of her outfit, and was stunned. He never knew Sakura had multiple tats, he always assumed the one on her wrist was her only one. Hell, he was even more surprised by the diamond tattoo on her forehead. And here he thought his gill tats were shocking.

"Ready?" She asked, pulling him out of his musings. He felt the back of his neck heat up before he nodded and motioned for her to follow him to his car. He half turned before he heard her gasp and turned to see what she was gawking at. He followed her line of sight and saw her openly staring (more like drooling) at his car. It was 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454, painted a dark iridescent blue, with white racing stripes over the hood. He chuckled and gently nudged her forward, letting out a few laughs as she raced forward to get a better look. He was glad her family had a covered driveway, otherwise the rain would've ruined her outfit (whoa, why did he suddenly care about that?), but then again, he was kinda curious about whether or not her outfit would cling to her if wet. The minute that thought crossed his mind, the heat returned to his neck and face, and he had to duck his head down before she caught a glimpse of it. He would never live it down.

As Sakura admired his car, he walked to the passenger side and opened the door for her. She threw him a smile in return, before gingerly getting in. He smirked at that, grateful that she was careful about the inside of his car. Most people would just hop in and throw their shit anywhere; that was the main reason why he hardly ever offered rides to people unless he knew they would be respectful.

"Your car is amazing!" Sakura gushed as he climbed in and got it started. He felt smug when his baby roared to life, startling Sakura. She laughed at herself before buckling in, and he pulled out of her driveway. He kept the radio down, not really caring for the morning show of the station he had flipped to, it was mostly just to fill the silence while they drove. Every couple seconds, he would glance at Sakura mostly to make sure she wasn't screwing around with anything (he would swear up and down it wasn't to check her out, nope, definitely not) and found that he couldn't shake the urge to put his arm behind her seat and pull her closer to him (he thanked the car gods that the seats were bench style) just so he could feel her against him. He mentally shook his head, wondering where the hell these thoughts were coming from, there was no way he was _that_ attracted to her. (Kisame apparently loved to lie to himself, something about living in denial was too good for him.)

The ride to school was quiet the entire time, not because they had to nothing to talk about, but because they enjoyed just sitting with each other and being in their presence. Sakura crossed her legs at one point, drawing Kisame's attention to her tat. He got a better glimpse of it and was impressed by the details. Something about it told him that it held significance to her, and he was curious.

"What does it mean?" He asked softly, catching her attention. She looked down at what he was talking about and grinned when she saw her tat. She turned so he could get a better look, inadvertantly showing Kisame more leg than she intended. Suddenly, his throat felt very dry. He swallowed, and made sure to keep his eyes on the road so his mind wouldn't wander.

"I got it during summer break, right after I found out I was coming back here. I knew I wasn't going to never see my friends again, but something about the move felt like things would be different. So, after talking it over with my parents for weeks, they finally relented in letting me get this as a way to remember my friends." She explained, smiling to herself. Kisame liked it when she smiled like that, full of happiness and warmth. "The Koi represents Juugo, since he's nothing but a gentle giant. It's red to represent Karin, I made sure it was the same color as her hair, and the old school waves represent Suigetsu, since he's from the coast and practically lives in the water."

"And the cherry blossoms represent you," he finished for her, to which she nodded. He smirked, thinking that her friends were lucky to have her dedicate such an impressive tattoo to them. He hoped to meet them one day, especially this Juugo figure, since she said they were a lot a like.

Before they knew it, they were parking in the school parking lot and the downpour had calmed to a light drizzle. Sakura unbuckled and was about to get out, when Kisame grabbed her wrist. She stopped and turned to him, curious as to why he would do this. He just stared at where he was holding her wrist, just as curious as she was.

"Sorry," he muttered before letting go, and turned his car off. Sakura looked at him, taking notice of how his shirt practically hugged his biceps and chest. There was nothing left to the imagination, hell, she could even see the faint outline of his washboard abs. Suddenly she wanted to know if they felt as rock hard as they looked. Blushing, she quickly turned away from him. But unfortunately for her, he had noticed the way she had been staring at him and the sudden blush. He smirked and when he noticed her glancing at him from the corner of her eye, he flexed his arms and chucked a little at how she followed the movement. He decided to test how far he could go before she got annoyed.

He reached out and grabbed her wrist again, this time tugging on it so she would have to scoot over to him. Sakura glared daggers at him, hating how her blush was clearly giving her away. It wasn't her fault he was so damn handsome, nor was it her fault that he had the body of a Greek god! No, it was clearly not her fault that she was reacting to him the way a normal teenage girl would. He gave her a predatory smirk, making sure to show off his sharp canines.

"Kisame," the way she said his name caused his blood to rush in a not so unpleasant way. It was soft and breathy, so unlike how she normally said his name. It was in this moment, that Kisame finally, begrudingly, acknowledged his attraction to her (it only took him four and a half weeks).

* * *

 **AN: I'M BACK BITCHES!**

 **Please let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas, please let me know!**

 **Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger.**


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